Amity

When I submitted for the lead role in AMITY 10 months ago, I was a little skeptical. I knew the basic story line which sounded interesting, but I also knew it was going to be mostly improvised with a loose script. Don’t get me wrong, that sounded like a blast, but I was a bit worried about the experience of the director.  I didn’t know if he was just another guy with a camera who wanted to experiment with some actors.  You see, you never know what your gonna get with low budget indie films.  In fact, you don’t even know when and if the film will ever get completed. There are plenty of people who want to make films. There are only so many that can complete the process. There are even less that can make an impression. Long story short, Alejandro Adams has made an impression.  When I asked for his previous experience, he sent me a link to a very positive Variety review from his first feature film, AROUND THE BAY. Seriously? Variety Magazine gave this bay area indie filmmaker a stellar review? Is this for real?  Well, yes, it was for real and he actually has gotten one more for his second feature film, CANARY, as well. I joked with him later that I thought maybe he did a cut and paste with the Variety logo. He has had plenty of other impressive reviews from other respected magazines as well. This guy apparently knows what he is doing.

So, I auditioned in an improvised setting and later had a separate interview at my place.  I got the role and now had to wait for the shooting to begin. I was anxious to start but after delays for various reasons, we began shooting 9 months after the initial audition. I almost let my skepticism get the best of me, thinking the film was never gonna happen. 

Fast forward to the last 5 weekends of shooting. What a ride it was.  The locations were great. We shot in a limousine, an airplane,  a bar, a home, a pool, a motel, a parking lot, a marina, a warehouse, a restaurant and on a motorcycle. The casting was phenomenal. Every time I was introduced to a new person on the set, I was blown away by the perfect characters Alex cast for each role. Since this was improvised, I was affected by each actor’s personality as well as their physical characteristics. As we shot the scenes, we were free to play but also were guided a different direction if it was not heading in a certain way that would be useful for the film. Often times I would finish a scene and Alex would ask me to go a completely different direction just to see what might work better in the editing.  It was as if we were putting together a 3 dimensional puzzle that might go up or  down, left or  right, and we won’t really know the shape until it is done.  I have never felt so manic in any project I have done in the past. This was guerrilla filmmaking at it’s finest and it was completely wild, fun, draining, and free.  

Alex and Ali Allie were the two main camera operators with occasional help from Alex’s wife Marya. They were all great. This was my first time on a set with 3 cameras rolling at once. I enjoyed it and was happy I was able to ignore them for the most part.  I did manage to make the guys laugh every so often and that was probably the most rewarding of all.  I am a guy who likes and needs feedback.  Whether good or bad, I want to know.  My goal was to be real, to be in it, and to make sure Alex was getting what he needed. I would often discuss with Michael (the limo driver) after a scene as to what the heck was going on and how we thought this was gonna turn out.  Sometimes, neither one of us could figure it out, but we both knew, whatever Alex is doing and whatever he is seeing, must be working.  I can only hope this film will continue the streak of positive reviews.  

Thanks for the opportunity.  I had a lot of fun. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!